View as Webpage

Sunday, July 21 is the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost.

St. John's will celebrate Christmas in July!

Morning Prayer at 10:00 AM.

Find this week's readings in the bulletin.

This Sunday, July 21 at 10am, please join St. John's for a special Christmas in July service!

Download the flyer.

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson:

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds,

and worship of the wise men.

Mark your calendars!

Niles Beach Evening Prayer services:

Wednesday, August 28 and Wednesday, September 18.

We will reschedule in case of rain.

Bring your own food and chair. Fellowship and food begin at 5:30 pm. Evening Prayer will begin at 6:30 pm. All are welcome!

Parking update: Good news!! So far, operations in the parking lot have been going great!! If parishioners want to park in the lot during off-hours (e.g. weekend nights) grab a parking pass from the office and put it in your back windshield when you park. (These are NOT REQUIRED for regular church services, meetings, etc.) Remember: to avoid being towed, DO NOT PARK in spaces 7-20, those are reserved. Thanks!!

SANDWICH MAKER NEEDED Volunteer needed to make sandwiches for the Action Shelter on Saturday, July 27. If you can help, email Carolyn Stewart.

Do you ever feel hunger pangs between meals? Kids are home from school this summer, and the need to keep them fully fed means nutritious snacks during the day. This week, the Open Door would appreciate granola bars, crackers (e.g. goldfish), and breakfast bars. Condiments are always welcome. Many thanks.

MARTHA WHITNEY, long-time friend and parishioner of St. John's, is now focusing her creative energy on making beautiful Christmas ornaments. She and her crafting partner, Ann Desmarais, will join over 250 talented artisans at The League of NH Craftsmen Annual Fair in Sunapee, NH, Aug. 3-11. Those who attend will find their display in “The Shop at the Fair” tent located by the main ski lodge. Their ornaments are also found year-round in the League’s Fine Art Galleries around the state. You can join their journey by following them on Facebook and Instagram. Beautiful work, Martha!

UPCOMING STAFF VACATIONS: The Rev. Marya DeCarlen will be on vacation from July 20 through August 23. Elizabeth de Veer will be out of the office from July 22 to July 26. (If you have questions about parking, feel free to email Elizabeth.)

FYI EMAILS IN AUGUST!!!

This August, St. John's FYI team will take a mini-break and will only send out 2 emails. Check your inbox on Friday, Aug. 9 and Friday, Aug. 23. The usual schedule will resume in September. Thanks!

GLOUCESTER READS Have you ever wondered if what you were taught in school about our country’s history was an untruth? Did you know Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, and six of his children were conceived with a slave, who were also enslaved? Did you know the economy of this country was built by slave labor, yet people of color continue to experience segregation and discrimination?

In Clint Smith’s book, How The Word Is Passed, the author presents the true stories of what happened in this country regarding slavery and how racism was institutionalized. As is often mentioned, what the reader will learn here is uncomfortable, and it is meant to be. It tells the truth.

This summer, Saint John’s is participating in the Gloucester Reads program by hosting a book discussion group focused on How The Word Is Passed by Clint Smith on Thursday, August 8 from 3-5 pm in the parish Hall. Additional groups are meeting around Gloucester as well. Click here for a full schedule. Register for any group at sawyerfreelibrary.org, or email Connie DeSimone or Claudette Chmura Extra copies of the book are available.

Discussion groups will be held at the places (on the dates and times specified) listed below. Join any group; you don’t need to be a member. Go to the Sawyer Free Library web site and scroll down to Gloucester Reads to register for any of these sessions.

Temple Ahavat Achim, Sunday, July 28, 10 am-12 pm

1623 Studios, Monday, July 29, 1-3 pm

Annisquam Village Church, Tuesday, July 30, 4-6 pm

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Tuesday, July 30, 7-9 pm

Lanesville Community Center, Tuesday, August 6, 7-9 pm

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Thursday, August 8, 3-5 pm

Temple Ahavat Achim, Sunday, August 11, 10 am -12 pm

Gloucester UU Church, Thursday, August 22 5-7 pm

Music Notes for Sunday, July 21, 2024

Our Processional Hymn is fitting for a Christmas in July Service: Tell Again the Joyful Story. This joyful hymn was written by Jeannette M. Lindholm, a professor of English at Salem State University. While studying at the University of Minnesota, she specialized in composition and rhetoric and received her Ph.D. in English Language and Literature in 1992. She also holds degrees from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN (B.A. in English and German, 1983), Indiana University (M.A. in English Language and Literature, 1986), and Boston University School of Theology (M.T.S., 1999) where she studied hymn writing with Carl P. Daw, Jr. Her primary research interests include the following: issues related to religion and rhetoric, genre theory, feminist rhetoric, hymnology, and approaches to creating healthy academic communities.

Tell Again the Joyful Story tells the story of the feminine Holy Spirit who spins the world, cheers each rising day, dances in the morning, and creates joy through laughter. Verse two discusses how She is a protector of us: She knows our tears, our sorrows, our birthing pains, and saves us from the death that has enslaved us. In verse three, She knows us, and protects us, we join with Her in feeding the hungry, clothing the poor. She takes away our anger, and silences the calls for war.

For me, this hymn shows the full spectrum of the One (Lindholm doesn’t use the words God or Lord in this hymn). The One, She is always with us on our journey dancing, loving, protecting, rejoicing, singing; these are active words in the present tense, not in the past tense or future tense, but actively sending our sadness reeling in the rhythms of Her healing. 

Your Friend,

John Churchwell

Music on the Meetinghouse Green This Friday, July 19, 2024 6:00PM the concert will benefit The Open Door. Rhiannon Hurst earned some serious respect in the jazz world even before she graduated high school. She won 2nd place in the Berklee International High School Jazz Singer’s Showcase and was one of four graduating seniors to receive the Excellence in Music Award from the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. She was the recipient of a prestigious 2021 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) award in jazz voice for her caliber of artistic achievement. Click here for more information.

Christmas in July,

Artisan Craft Fair & Bake Sale

At St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington St. in Gloucester, Saturday, July 20, 9 am to 2 pm. This festival will include hand-crafted items by local artisans, freshly baked nisu, (Finnish sweet bread), silent auction, raffles, and more!

July 21, 2024

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

And Christmas in July! Service at 10:00 AM

Download the bulletin to see who is participating in the liturgy.

SIGN-UP IN THE PARISH HALL! We always need people to contribute funds for the weekly burning of our sanctuary lamp and for altar flowers. Pick a date that has special meaning for you (anniversaries, birthdays, etc.)! We also always need donations of any kind for the Open Door food bank (no expired items or glass containers please). And don't forget about helping provide lunches for the Action Shelter so people can have something to eat on Sundays!

Sign up in the parish hall for future dates for flower and lamp, Action Sandwiches and coffee hour.



CONTACT MARYA (Priest-in-Collaboration) at mdecarlen@comcast.net or 978-590-1642

Join us for Zoom Coffee Hour, aka Reliable Joy! 

Reliable Joy meets Sundays at 12:30. 

Use this Zoom link to join in. Meeting ID: 873 3272 1412

Passcode: 01930 Dial by location: 1 646 558 8656

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Sundays               

• 8:30 - 9:15 am Choir rehearsal (Sept. through June)
• 10:00 am Sung Eucharist

Mondays             

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 9-noon Ms. Fixits Women gathering to tend to the fabric of the church

Tuesdays

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 4:30 pm Women's Cursillo Reunion Group (1st and 3rd Tuesdays)

Wednesdays

• 7 am Men's Bible Reflection, (Bible study) 
• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open
• 7 pm Fish City AA

Thursdays    

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 7 - 8:30 pm Parish Choir rehearsal (Sept. through June)
• 7:00 pm AA

Fridays

• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open

Saturdays             

• Action Shelter Lunch-Making, Carolyn Stewart
• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open
• 7 pm Big Book AA 

St. John's Intercession List: Ondine, Don Baker, Mandy, Nina Ziv, Marjorie Frontiero, Rita Peritore, Hope, Brie-Anne Martel, Patty Reed, Marjorie Fergusson, Laurie Menard, Jeremy, Lucy,  Gaëlle K., Sean G., Josh R., Sean, Alexis Morris, Charlie Bishop, Lyn Brakeman, Sarah Clifford, Ace Torrence and Family, Jacoby, Jay Featherstone, Isabelle Higgins, Christopher Antonuk, Miranda Featherstone and Family, Marsha White, Claire Stahler, Carole Secrest, Chris Klosterman, Sereda Feener, Lynn Runnells, Alex Furth, Simeon Teitelbaum, Miriam Teitelbaum,  Len Berry, Ellen, Wayne Martin, Ernie Runnells, Jack Ketchopulos, Michael Rocha, Liana and Joe Webb, Anne Sullivan, Linda, Malcolm Henderson, Emelia Currier, Danny, John Fleming.

Contact prayer list manager: Joan Gorga 978-283-5926 or jmgorga@yahoo.com

Please notify Joan Gorga if there is any change with the people on this list. Thank you.